Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Los Alamos, NM and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Los Alamos, NM and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,240 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,240
Budapest $3,429

Los Alamos, NM is about 34% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Los Alamos, NM sits 21% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 $17.10

$13.94 Ft 4,503

22.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.29 $40.29

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-34.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.26 Ft 1,055

51.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.14 Ft 690

14.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.78 Ft 577

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.71 Ft 1,198

60.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.77 Ft 1,217

90.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.15 Ft 371

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.79 Ft 578

26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.49 Ft 804

77.11%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$3.90 Ft 1,261

3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$11.10 Ft 3,587

4.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$6.62 Ft 2,139

44.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$14.69 Ft 4,745

20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.83 Ft 591

162.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.05 Ft 661

-30.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.37 Ft 765

20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.90 Ft 1,260

15.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.99 Ft 320

10.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.00 Ft 322

227.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.58 Ft 511

24.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.67 Ft 216

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 $10.54

$7.96 Ft 2,572

32.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$6.22 Ft 2,009

123.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.27 Ft 411

87.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.03 Ft 654

74.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.31 Ft 1,070

6.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.37 Ft 442

43.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.94 $31.94

$19.83 Ft 6,406

61.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.82 Ft 589

-48.90%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.7K $30.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

3.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K $24.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-27.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$158 $158

$171 Ft 55.3K

-7.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$40.32 $40.32

$23.51 Ft 7,596

71.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$23.29 Ft 7,526

211.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$9.30 Ft 3,004

42.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,490 $1,490

$533 Ft 172.3K

179.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

51.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.08 $20.08

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-79.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$110 Ft 35.7K

-4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 Ft 38.4K

1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$830 Ft 268.3K

29.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

21.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-43.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 $3,380

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-13.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

398.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 23.7% $80

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 22.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 19.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 28.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 226% $60

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 231% $31

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM versus $830 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 398% higher in Los Alamos, NM, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Los Alamos, NM vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

15:13 3:13 PM

8 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Los Alamos, NM Budapest 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Los Alamos, NM vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,597 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Alamos, NM, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Alamos, NM – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Los Alamos, NM. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.